Automatic car-signal



(No M0del.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

' D. W. TROY.

AUTOMATIC UAR SIGNAL.

/n 06/? for PatentfiedDe RS co. morau'rwa. wunmowm n, c.

i (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

D. W. TROY. AUTOMATIC GAR SIGNAL.

No. 574,182. Patented Dec. 29,1896.

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DANIEL W. TROY, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,182, dated December29, 1896.

Application filed September 5, 1896. Serial No. 604,978. (No model.)

10 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL W'. TROY, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Montgomery, in the county of Montgomery and State ofAlabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticCar Signals or Alarms, of whichthe followingspecification contains afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of one endof a street-car provided with my improved signal or alarm. Fig. 2 is aside elevation, partly in section, of the alarm mechanism With thestriker thrown outward for action by the toothed Wheel on the car-axle.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, the striker beingwithdrawn by its spring. Fig. 4 is a perspective of the base-plate orattaching-frame. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the striker. Fig. 6 shows amodified form of the same. Fig. 7 is a perspective of the gear and camfor setting the striker in its operative position. Fig.8 is a detail ofthe strikeroperating gear and its gear-operating projection or tooth.Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of the stud on which the striker ismounted, a portion of the striker and base-plate being also shown.

My invention relates to an alarm or signal for rapid-transitstreet-cars.

The objects of the invention are to provide an alarm or signal whichwill be automatically sounded at the street-crossings; also, to soconstruct the alarm or signal that it may be sounded at any time .by themotorman.

The invention consists, broadly, in a car signal and alarm having anautomatically intermittently operated mechanism for giving the signal oralarm when the car approaches a street-crossing; also, in such anautomatically-operated signal provided with mechanism by which it may beoperated at any time by the motorman.

The invention further consists in the construction and combination ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

A is a portion of a modern electric streetcar, to the axle B of which isrigidly secured a toothed striker-operating wheel 0, formed in twosections having apertured lugs c 0, through which pass the bolts 0. cfor firmly clamping it to the axle. One of these lugs c is extended outbeyond the periphery of the wheel 0 to form a gear-operating tooth orprojection 0.

D is a base-plate formed from a T-shaped piece of strap-iron bent into Ushape, the ends of its cross-piece forming apertured attaching-arms d(I, through which bolts may be passed to secure the base-plate to themotor box or truck of the car, as shown in Fig. 1. The parallel arms ofthe base-plate are provided with alined apertures d d, and the freeouter end of the arm D of the base-plate D is provided with alongitudinal slot d (See Fig. 4.)

E is a shaft journaled in the apertures d, and on this shaft, within thebase-plate, is fixedly secured a gear-wheel E, adapted to be engaged bythe tooth or projection O at every revolution of the car-wheel. On thistoothed wheel E, at one side, is secured or formed a cam-Wheel E havinga single elongated peripheral cam-surface e ,the remaining portion ofits periphery describing a plain circle.

This wheel E bears on a stud F, (oran antifriction-roller f thereon,)mounted to slide in the slot d and forming the pivot of the gongstrikerF, adapted to strike the gong G, secured on the outer end of the shaftE. i The striker F is V-shaped and is secured at its angle on thethreaded end ofthe sliding stud F by means of a nutf. The angular endfof the striker forms its operating-tooth for engagement by the toothedstriker-actuating wheel 0 on the car-axle, as will be presently morefully described.

The striker F is provided between its two striking-arms F F with aretractile spring f which is connected at one end to the aperture f inthe striker, and its opposite end is looped around the shaft E, thetendency of the spring being to retract the striker and hold its axis Falways in contact with the cam-wheel E for action thereby.

It will be seen that the tooth c of the strikeroperating wheel 0 willstrike the gear-wheel E once at every revolution of the axle and turn itthe distance of a single tooth. lVhen the wheel E has been given a fullrevolution, the cam-surface 6 will force the striker-pivot F outwardlyin the slot d against the action of spring f so as to bring the endf ofthe striker into engagement with the rounded teeth of the toothed wheel0. This wheel C will vibrate the striker continuously until the tooth Crotates the toothed wheel E asufiicient distance to carry thecam-surface c from behind the axis 11, at which instant the spring fwill retract the striker and the alarm will become silent. Thecam-surface c will be long enough to cause the sounding of the signal oralarm while the car approaches and crosses astreet, and the teeth on thewheel E will be sufficient in number to cause its revolution once inevery average city block. Suppose the length of a block to be threehundred feet and the car-wheel to be nine feet in circumference and thenumber of teeth on the wheel E to be thirty-three, then thirty-threerevolutions of the ear-axle would turn the wheel E once every block tobring the can1-surface c into contact with the strikeraxis. Of coursethe length of the block might vary several yards, but the number ofteeth on wheel E would be arranged for the average block and the lengthof the cam would be arranged f or the average width of crossings plus alength to cause the signal to be operated in approaching and leaving thesame.

The gong is provided with a inged nut g and with an indicating mark orarrow g, which registers with the position of the cam 0 so that bygrasping the nut g the gong, the shaft E, gear E, and cam 6 may berotated to bring the cam into proper position when the car is at thebeginning of the run, say at the first crossing, so that the gong willbe sounded at each succeeding crossing. Thus the alarm or signal will begiven automatically at every crossing and the motorman will not have tobe depended on therefor, as heretofore. In order, however, that thealarm may be sounded at intermediate points by the motornian, I providethe striker F with oppositely-projecting lever-arn1s F F which areoperatively connected by wires II II with bell-crank levers I under thecar-platforms, (only one being shown,) the said bell-cranks being inturn operated by the spring-retracted push-rods K, mounted in theplatform for action by the foot of the motorman, as will be readilyunderstood by referring o Fig. l of the drawings. If the foot-operatedmechanism is not used, then I employ the striker shown in Fig. 0'.

I do not restrict myself to the particular mechanism shown, as it maybeconsiderably varied and modified without departing from the scope of myinvention.

hat I claim is- 1. An automatic signal or alarm, for streetcars,comprising an alarm or signal proper for attachment to a car, and anintermittentlyactuated mechanism for operating the said alarm or signal,automatically from the caraxle, and provided with means for holding itactive while the car is passing over a predetermined distance, wherebythe signal or alarm may be actuated at and across the street-crossings.

2. The combination with the gong or bell provided with a striking deviceoperated automatica-lly at stated intervals from the caraxle, andnormally held out of operative connection with said axle, of mechanismactuated automatically from said car axle to throw the striking deviceinto operative connection therewith, whereby the alarm will be silentbetween the crossings and sounded automatically at the crossings,substantially as described.

3. The combination with the tooth or projection and the toothedstrikeroperating wheel carried by the car-axle, of a gong or hell havinga n ormally-retracted striker,a cam for throwing the striker into thepath of the said striker-wheel when the car approaches a crossing andretaining it there till the car passes the crossing, and a gear-wheelfor operating said cam and located in the path of the said axle-operatedtooth or projection to be turned thereby the distance of one tooth foreveryrevolution of the axle, substantially as described.

-1 A crossing alarm or signal mechanism for street-cars, comprising agear-operating tooth or projection and a toothed SilllkGDOP cratingwheel on the car-axle, a gong or hell having a norm ally-retractedvibrating striker provided with a sliding axis, a cam-wheel engagingsaid axis and having a cam-surface to push the axis outward and throwthe striker into engagement with the toothed striker-operatin g wheel,and a gear-wheel for operating the cam and located in the path of saidgearoperating tooth or projection to be turned thereby the distance ofone tooth at every revolution of the car-axle, substantially asdescribed.

5. A crossing alarm or signal mechanism for street-cars, comprising agear-operating tooth or projection and a toothed striker-operating wheelfor the car-axle, a gong, a V- shaped vibrating striker under the gongand secured at its angle to a pivot-stnd mounted to slide and turn in aslotted bearing, the angular end of the striker projecting toward saidstriker-operating wheel, a spring normally withdrawing the striker fromsaid wheel, a shaft parallel with the striker-axis and forming thegong-support, a gear-wheel secured to said shaft and in the path of saidgear-operatin g tooth or projection to be turned thereby the distance ofone tooth at every revolution of the ear-axle, and a cam-wheel at oneside of the gear-wheel engaging the striker stud or pivot and providedwith a camsurface to project the stud and throw the striker intoengagement with the striker-operating wheel when the car approaches acrossing, the said spring retracting the striker when the car passes thecrossing, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the toothed strikeroperating wheel formed in twosections adapted to be bolted together on the car-axle, one sectionhaving a gear-operating tooth or projection extending beyond theperiphery of the wheel, of a U shaped base-plate adapted to be securedto some portion of the car adjacent to the axle, a transversegong-carrying shaft journaled in-the two arms of said base and providedwith a gear-wheel engaged by said gear-operatin g tooth or projectionand having a cam-wheel on one side, a vibrating striker having its pivotmounted in the slotted end of one arm of said base and engaged by saidcam-wheel for movement thereby to throw the striker into the path ofsaid striker-operating Wheel, and a spring connected to the striker toretract it after the cam-surface of the camwheel has passed from behindits axis or pivot, substantially as described.

'7. The combination with the striker having a sliding axis and means foroperating the striker, of a shaft having a cam for throwing the strikerinto engagement with its operating mechanism and a gear-Wheel foroperating the cam, means for intermittently operating said gear-wheel,and a gong secured to the shaft and having a thumb-piece and anindicating arrow or mark pointing in the direction of the cam, wherebythe shaft and its gear and cam may be turned by means of the thumb orfinger piece 011 the bell, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with the alarm or signal and mechanism forautomatically sounding the alarm or signal when the car approaches acrossing, of separate and independent mechanism in connection with thesounding device of the alarm or signal, for actuating the same from theends of the car, by the motorman, at any time, without interfering withthe mechanism by which the automatic sonndin g is effected.

9. The combination with the car, a gong or bell thereon provided with anormally-retracted striker adapted to be operated automatically atstated intervals from the car-axle, mechanism also operated from thecar-axle to automatically throw the striker into operative connectionwith the car-axle, independent lever mechanisms on the car-platform andconnected to the striker, and push rods or devices by which the motormanmay operate said lever mechanisms and sound the alarm at any time,substantially as described.

DANIEL W. TROY.

itnesses:

J. E. JOHNSON, S. W. MITCHELL.

